The Presidential Address. 75
It would indeed be a most interesting study in psychological
evolution to compare some of the earliest with some of the
later opinions on the Darwinian theory. This is a task which
I commend to those who have time and opportunity for
collecting materials for such a comparison. Now, in the
peace following the strife, it seems perhaps a reversion to
ancestral savagery to execute a war-dance over the prostrate
bodies of the slain; but, for my own part, acknowledging
that, as a youth, I fell into the ranks of Darwinism, I cannot
but own that a recent perusal of some of these early attacks
has afforded me considerable satisfaction. Looked at in the
present state of knowledge it is seen that many of these
criticisms were prompted by nothing else than the animus
of bigotry, or were the ignorant vituperation of extreme
specialism ; nor is it, perhaps, necessary to say that some of
the loudest clamour was raised by those having no shadow of
a claim of any kind to make themselves heard. Of these
multifarious expressions of opinion the majority were, it is
needless to state, devoid of value, and in many cases the
critics, perhaps from an incapacity for handling the true
weapons of scientific discussion, descended to personal
aspersions upon Mr. Darwin's character. But, on the other
hand, the views advanced were more ably handled by the
larger-minded and more competent thinkers in the world of
science. From these appeared some criticisms of real im-
portance, which led Darwin, with that splendid candour
which was part of his nature, to modify certain details of his
theory in the later editions of the 'Origin.'
In the meantime, in the quiet seclusion of his Kentish
home, Darwin pursued his labours with "philosophic calm,"
answering his critics with gentleness, and turning a deaf ear
to personalities, knowing that he had a great truth to
proclaim to the world, and upheld by the knowledge that the
leaders of biological science had become his disciples. In
this country Sir Charles Lyell, the illustrious founder of
Uniformitarian Geology, Dr. Hooker, Herbert Spencer, Prof.
Huxley, and Sir John Lubbock, were among the first to give
the weight of their support to the Darwinian hypothesis;